News and Interesting Interactions


I want to put out a quick shout out to Mfable, thank you so much for the editing this chapter I owe you one. Also I want to thank all of you for your patience, and I'm very proud how quickly I got this out. My goal is goal post a story a week, but I must take baby steps. If things keep going this well, I may wright a holiday special chapter, we shall see what happens. So again thank you all again.


Mercedes sighed when her plane landed. She had forgotten to alert anyone to her arrival and now was waiting for a cab to drive up. Others, from different flights, passed by getting in or out of cars with loved ones, and here she sat with her father in critical condition in the hospital at home. There seemed to be something terribly wrong with this picture. A few minutes passed as she pouted angrily, before a free cab pulled forward.

"Where you headed?" The cabby questioned the silver haired girl.

Mercy told the man her address before shoving her one bag into the back seat. Both parties remained silent for the fairly short journey. When they arrived to her home, the cabby grabbed her bags and put them to the curb while she paid for her ride. Her bed called for her attention the moment she entered her home. Instead of unpacking, Mercedes flopped onto her bed and fell instantly asleep.

Mercy's phone woke her up as it fell from the night stand and to the floor, buzzing all the way. The silver haired girl's fingers danced along the dusty floor, searching for the annoying object without looking at it.

"This is Mercy," her groggy voice croaked.

"Good morning darling," Kurena cheered happily on the other end. "Your cute doctor looked over daddy dearest."

"Yeah, is he ok?"

Mercedes sat up too quickly at the news, her head danced momentarily as she oriented herself.

"Yes, of course he is." Kurena paused, "Thank you so much Renu, you've greatly relieved both my daughter and myself. Would you like to tell her what's going on with my husband."

Embarrassment hazed Mercy's cheeks as she listened to her mother's forcing offer. The receiver shuffled a moment before she heard Renu's voice greet her.

"Good morning Mercy," he chuckled. "Your father is doing well, he just overexerted himself this weekend."

"Thank god," she breathed. "Thank you so much, I'm sorry for all the trouble really."

"No trouble, it's my job after all." He sighed. "You should sleep again, it's six in the morning."

"Shit," she breathed jumping out of her bed. "I'm late, sorry, I have to go. Thanks again, bye."

With that, Mercy hung up the phone and rushed through her morning routine. Since she had yet again forgotten to let anyone know of her arrival, Mercedes had to practically run to her office building to get to work on time. She instantly spotted Shyanne pacing in her new glass office.

"Shyanne," Mercy called out.

"O thank god, is Takuma ok?" her worried friend sprinted through the cubicles, enveloping Mercy tightly.

"Yes, Renu said he overexerted himself, but should be fine." Mercy chuckled.

"Renu?"

"Yeah, I met him at the airport."

"Do tell," Shyanne pulled away, genuinely interested now.

"No, we aren't dating, I just met him through his daughter."

"Lame sauce, I thought I was going to get a dirty one night stand story." Shyanne pouted. "I'll catch you at lunch, Mr. Boss man is really peeved today, and I'm unsure what happened just yet. I'll keep you posted."

Kanra enters

Kanra: how was your weekend?

Takuma: it was….. For the lack of a better word… exciting. How was yours?

Kanra: How so?

Kanra: I worked the whole weekend.

Takuma: That can be fun. My family and I vegged out on the couch all weekend until father went to the hospital.

Kanra: I'm sorry to hear that, is he ok?

Takuma: Yeah, things like this happen. Anyways….

Kanra: Dinner tonight? I'll have Celty pick you up.

Takuma: Tonight? I guess I can squeeze you in. What time?

Mercy blushed as she desperately tried to work through the submissions on her desk.

Kanra: How does 8 p.m. at my place sound?

Takuma: Oh, I actually am invited to your place? What will the neighbors think?

What was she doing? Was she honestly flirting with the man?

Kanra: Maybe we can make things extra loud for them ;)

Izaya chuckled as his fingers danced on the keyboard. At first her response caught him off guard, and even now he was unsure how to decipher her message. It can be a simple joke, or maybe it was something more. Both possibilities excited him more than he thought they should. Mercedes was more than a pawn to him right now, she is an intriguing being he never thought he would find.

His suggestive message had Mercedes gasping for breath. She minimized the screen before she rushed to the ladies bathroom and locked herself in the stall. Maybe father was right and she did have feelings for this perfect stranger. If that were the case though, Mercy felt the desperation of needing to get out of this situation before things got too complicated. With her mind wracking for what to say the bathroom door opened silently.

"Mercy, you ok?" Shyanne's voice echoed through the room.

"Y-yes, I thought I was about to throw up." Mercy lied weakly. "The lack of sleep seems to be getting to me, but I'm fine now friend."

She steadied herself, allowing the shocks of anxiety to flutter away from her nerve endings. The stall door squeaked open, revealing a worried Shyanne.

"Do you want to go home?"

"No, I am fine. I think it's a mix of lack of sleep and lack of food in my stomach." She sighed.

"I'll go pick up lunch, Mr. boss-man is having an emergency meeting with the board members, and you know who needs to set things up." Her friend rolled her eyes. "I'll go now so I can get the orders of the board members, and you some food. Sorry lunch got all canceled and shit."

"No problem, I too have a lot of work to sift through."

Both girls parted, each having their own work to deal with. Mercy though, opened the chat window again to say something.

Kanra: Still there?

Kanra: Did I say something wrong?

Takuma: Sorry, boss was addressing me. I may need to work late tonight…

Kanra: Then we'll have dinner in your cubical again.

Mercy placed her hands on her temples and rubbed them tenderly. She needed to peddle back, she already agreed to do this dinner, and she would be damned if her nerves go in the way again.

Takuma: I'll ditch the late night work for tonight. I'll see you at 8.

Kanra: At risk of over stepping my boundaries again, please wear something….. Provocative. I find it most interesting when you honor my requests.

She logged out of the chat room and continued to work hard the rest of the day. Being that it was date night for her blond friend, Mercedes was able to go home without explaining why she couldn't hang out tonight. Once again after her shower, and at a quarter till eight, Mercy found herself staring at the two different dresses she owned. Provocative could mean so many things, and both dresses fit within her comfort zone. She took a detour and fed Goldie as she decided on what to wear. The silver haired girl finally decided on the mid-thigh black and white dress Shyanne bought for her nun costume a few years ago.

Luckily by the time Celty came, Mercy was fully dressed and had her hair pulled into a messy bun. Mercedes quietly smiled at her newly acquired friend as her finger played with the end of the normally too revealing dress.

You look amazing….

"Thank you Celty." Mercy sighed.

May I ask, if you and Izaya are dating?

"Oh of course, we are friend after all." Mercy smiled nervously. "No, we aren't, he just asked if I could wear something…" she paused, not willing to use his exact words. "Dressier, and this is the only thing I own that fits that request."

Celty nodded before helping the girl onto the motorcycle. Off they went, flying through the quiet town of Ikebukuro. Mercedes closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. When the stopped, Celty again helped Mercy off of the bike, and walked her to the elevator. The silver haired girl smiled sweetly as they waited for the doors to open.

"Thank you for being my ride." Mercy sighed, "D-do you think Izaya likes me?"

A red haze covered her cheeks as Celty's body tensed up nervously. Should she tell her silver headed friend what Izaya does for fun? So many possibilities rushed through Celty for the moments of silence. Her fingers slid across the keys of her phone as she bought herself some time.

Do you like Izaya?

"Um, well, he's an attractive man." Mercy cleared her throat. "But I don't really know him well."

You need to be careful around him… He can be dangerous.

"I know, I was just curious about why he's paying so much attention to me."

The elevator dinged, indicating that it was time to board the mini room. Mercedes smiled before pressing Izaya's floor button. Celty waited outside the door, waiting until Mercy was halfway to Izaya. She needed to talk to Shinra when she got home.

"Ok, let's get this over with."

Mercedes knocked on the door Izaya said was his. She barely waited before the door flew open. Izaya's eyed her up and down with a playful smirk on his lips.

"I see you really did wear something provocative." His voice darkened with a teasing tone. "Please come in."

She followed his guiding hands, taking in the apartment with awe. When she first stayed here she was in such a rush that she didn't get to see the beauty. His stark white walls and couches made her wonder how he kept things so clean. Her eyes met with a beautiful scenery painting of a castle surrounded by rolling hills and trees.

"Is that a painting by Balthasar Anton Dunker?" she questioned, taking in each stroke of the brush.

"You enjoy art?" He asked, suddenly next to her.

"Father and I went to many museums when mother was working." Mercy smiled nervously. "We were in Germany when they opened a new room dedicated to his works."

Her eyes dropped from the paining, sadness taking over her emotions. She missed those day so much now, she missed those moments she would never get back again. Izaya watched as her mood dropped. He needed to change the mood quickly, and he knew exactly how to do so. He danced across the room with great excitement. Loud classical music met the silver haired girl, bringing her out of her momentary funk.

"Would you put this shirt on?" Izaya chuckled, handing her his white button down shirt. "I would like to play a prank on my very angry neighbors."

Mercedes eyed the large fabric before disappearing into his room. As sad as it is, his shirt covered more of her body than her dress did. Her shoulder protruded from the neck line of the button up shirt as she walked out of the room. She wasn't quite sure if amusing him was a good idea, but the glint in his eyes distracted her worry. Izaya took her in, allowing his eyes to dance across her body before he nodded with excitement.

"Great, you look absolutely amazing, but we must mess up your hair." He chuckled, before a knock on the door interrupted him. "Ah, right on time."

His fingers danced against her scalp as he pulled out her bun and ruffled up her silver locks. Mercy's skin prickled at his touch, her breathing starting to shallow. Another sharp series of knocks pierced the music.

"Ok, go ahead and open the door." Izaya chuckled.

She followed his orders and opened the silver door. His much old neighbor glared down at the young girl before he softened his features. Mercedes looked absolutely exhausted, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of the large shirt and her knee's folding slightly towards each other. The moment there was a knock on the door, the silver haired girl knew what Izaya wanted from her, and she enjoyed the idea of being in on his joke. The neighbor cleared this throat awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, is the music too loud?" Mercy offered, with an innocent look.

"Y-yes, I'm sorry for…..Interrupting, but I have work early tomorrow, and-"

"No, the apology is ours to make." Mercy smiled weakly. "I hadn't realized how loud I made the music, we are truly sorry for being so rude. I pray you will forgive us."

She bowed, making the front of the shirt expose a bit more of her skin to the neighbor. He cleared this throat again, this time pulling her up by her shoulders and avoiding eye contact. His body language screamed uncomfortable as he stuttered out an answer to her, leaving them alone in the room. Izaya's chuckles echoed through the music before the door was even closed. Mercy glanced at the mischievous man as she walked to the computer and turned the music to an appropriate volume.

"You were wonderful, his face was just amusing." Izaya laughed so hard he nearly fell to the floor. "And that bow, I nearly died from his reaction. I need you here more often"

Mercy chuckled as she ran her fingers down the length of her hair. The poor neighbor's reaction had been amusing, but she did feel bad that she made him feel so uncomfortable. Later on she would make him something sweet to eat as an apology to keep things cordial between the two men, though something told her Izaya was anything but cordial.

"I'm going to change back to my dress," Mercy sighed, starting to disappear into Izaya's room.

"Stay, you look more comfortable in it." Izaya chuckled, "and it shows less skin."

A ding in another room distracted Mercy momentarily. What could that possible be?

"Dinners ready," Izaya cheered.

He disappeared behind a door. Had Izaya cooked dinner? Mercy couldn't help but wonder, as she followed him into the kitchen. A deep red haze consumed her face when her eyes met up with another woman's. The new person cocked her brow, taking in Mercy's shy form. Namie took in the tiny build and deep silver hair that framed Mercedes form perfectly. Her eye stopped at Mercy's fingers fiddling with the hem of Izaya's sleeves. Who was this girl and why was she in Izaya's clothing?

"Ah Namie, I see you've met Mercy." Izaya chuckled, walking back into the room. "Mercy, this is my associate Namie Yagiri. Namie, this is Mercedes Sado."

"Most people call me Mercy, it's very nice to meet you."

She put out her hand nervously while taking in the domineering stature of Mrs. or Ms. Yagiri. The tall brunette glared at the hand before turning her gaze back Izaya. Mercy put her hand back down as the two exchanged a series of threatening looks. Izaya must have won the dispute because Namie forcing a smile onto her face and put out her hand.

"What are you planning with her?" Namie questioned, taking Mercy's hands into hers. "You look a lot weaker than the other's he has broken, I doubt you'll be a challenge for him." A wicked smile tarnished her beautiful face. "You poor thing."

"Namie, if you can't say anything nice to my girlfriend, I'd appreciated it if you left."

Both women stared at Izaya blankly. What had he said? They both wondered in utter shock. Namie was the first to recover, leaving the room with a challenging huff. There was no way he actually meant what he said, but she didn't want to be a part of his cruel joke. Mercy, on the other hand, turned into a blushing mess as she looked at the floor. Had the two been dating without her knowledge? It's possible, both Shyanne and Chandasea have commented on her oblivious nature to attraction. Would it be foolish if she asked him if they had been dating this whole time?

"I'm sorry about her." Izaya chuckled. "She's a very difficult person to get along with, but she's a half decent cook."

Izaya's eyes danced across Mercy's shell shocked expression as he took a slow step forward. No reaction, he took another and another until he was in front of his personal silver haired question. She flinched at his proximity when his fingertips ghosted her cheeks.

"W-what did she mean about the others?" Mercy questioned, finally finding her voice.

"Not the question I expected from you." Another dark chuckle exited his lips. "I like to conduct experiments with others."

"What kind of experiments?"

Maybe she has been watching too many horror movies, because when he mentioned experiments different Frankenstein types of experiments flashed in her mind's eye. Izaya's face appeared much closer to hers as he leaned down to her level while he spoke. His lips grazed against her cheek as he spoke in a teasing manner.

"Let's just say I like to play with the emotions and reactions of human beings."

Breathing became a conscious action for Mercedes as she struggled to get enough air into her lungs. Izaya was much too close, and she could feel her body's natural response to him increase. Her heart rate increased as though it wished to break through the protection of her ribs, her pulse rushed through her veins making things much louder, and heat radiated from her body and face. This must be what he meant, she confirmed internally. He was testing her reaction to his proximity. She could see the interested glint in his eyes.

"I can hear the next question you're about to ask already. Am I an experiment, or are we really dating?" he smiled, leaning closer to her wanting lips. "The answer is yes, I feel like you could be my equal, so I would greatly enjoy having you around as much as possible."

Izaya's lips touched hers gently as he gauged her reaction. He watched as Mercedes slowly closed her eyes and followed the movement of his lips. He too joined her in the silent play of the quite unexpected kiss. Internally, he couldn't help but enjoy the burning question of why she was so interesting, and the smirk curling the ends of his lips made that question perfectly clear. Mercy was the one to pull away, laughing nervously at the situation. At least now she knew where she stood with the informant, but could she really stand by idly with the little games?

"Now, why don't we eat before the food gets cold?"

"Sounds like a plan." Mercy sighed. "What can I do to help you?"

"Go back to the dining room, I'll be right out with dinner."

Izaya hummed with delight when Mercedes walked out of the room. Her fingers pulled at the fraying hem of his sleeves as she paced the room. What just happened, and how was she going to talk to her friends about this? She stopped mid step, did she even have to tell her friends? It's true the three girls had spent a year apart, and that even now she could feel the difference between her and her friends. With Shyanne seriously dating, and Chandasea busy with her practice, Mercy is left to her own devices often. So why not secretly date Izaya? Not forever of course, but until things got serious.

These were things she needed to think long and hard on, and until that bridge needed to be crossed, she was perfectly happy leaving where it stood. His door creaked when he walked back into the small area he called a dining room. Mercy smiled weakly as she watched him set up the table.

"Vola, I hope you like Indian." He smiled, opening a pot. "Namie asked what to make and I gave her free reign. I think she's trying to win her beloved brother back through food."

"You know the saying, 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.'" Mercy giggled.

"If that's the case, I must try your food."

"Izaya, of all the people I would have thought you would be far from cheesy." Mercy muttered absentmindedly.

"Forgive me, I'm new to the dating scene."

Izaya pulled the chair out for her and waited patiently till she sat down to push her towards the table. Neither knew he could be such a gentlemen, which left Izaya in an amused shock. His eyes stayed on the young woman as he sat down across the table from her. Still, her movement's captured his attention as she chewed her food pointedly and swallowed with a barely audible gulp. From some of the stories he discovered from high school "friends", he knew she wasn't graceful.

"Aside from movies and the hospital, how were things with your parents?" he questioned.

"They were fun, and embarrassing." Mercy rolled her eyes, suddenly remembering her mother's behavior. "My mother wants me to bring home a male, so whenever a man comes within ten feet of me she bombards them with questions."

"She sounds quite interesting." Izaya chuckled. "She will probably enjoy the idea of you dating."

Mercedes snorted, "Not that she'll find out any time soon."

"Oh, why's that?"

Their eyes met momentarily. Izaya's were filled with questions, and Mercy's held a desperation for answers.

"The first thing she'll ask is when the wedding will be."

"Yes, it would be best to avoid that question with an early relationship."

Dinner continued on like this for many hours. Izaya even opened up about his relationship with Shizuo. The couple laughed and even drifted on into more serious subjects, until a dinging came from his computer. Izaya sighed, walking to the screen.

"As always, business awaits." He half-heartily chuckled.

"Oh my, is it really two in the morning?"

Izaya glanced to the screen and nodded. The two had indeed stayed up all night talking about whatever come to mind. Mercy quickly jogged off his room, tossing on her dress. The drive to her home would be an hour and a half, so she would be lucky to get three and a half hours of sleep before work.

"You can stay the night you know." Izaya called form the other room. "I have a spare toothbrush, and I can have Celty bring some clothes over."

Mercy played with the idea of staying the night for the second time. It would be nice to get four and a half hours of sleep instead of running off of coffee the next morning. She chewed the inside of her lip, poking her head out his bedroom door. He hadn't noticed her just yet, so she took the time to admire the informant. His dark locks fell into his face, making him swipe the hair out of his eyes every so often, and his dark eyes glowed in the light of the computer screen.

During her admiration she hadn't notice his eyes flutter in her direction, or the fact he now had his hand resting in the center of his palm staring at her. That is, until her eyes watched his lips curl into a handsome smirk.

"It's nice to know you admire me." He chuckled, pushing away from the desk.

"Where would I sleep?" she stuttered.

"In the bed. I'll probably pull an all-nighter." He snickered. "Go to bed, I'll call Celty."

Izaya stared at Mercy, watching as every question swayed through her eyes. She is easy to read, which normally ruined his fun, but something about her kept him interested. Before he knew it, she nodded, finally making a decision.

"Don't I still have clothes here?" she questioned, "From when I was drunk."

"Yes, would you like me to wash those clothes for you?"

"I can do it," A deep red tint graced her cheeks again.

"No, you will sleep in my shirt, and I will do your laundry. Just this once of course."

"Th-thanks Izaya, I owe you one."

"Never say that to an informant, you'll never know if they will take you up on that."

"Ok, good night Izaya, don't stay up too long."

Mercedes nodded before disappearing into the darkness of his room. She quickly changed into the borrowed shirt and crawled into the bed. So many things danced through her mind before everything drifted into the dark abyss of sleep.

Izaya, on the other, hand started working on his new assignment. Somebody wanted information about the newest gang in Ikebukuro, called the dollars. This particular gang had caught his attention a while ago, so he did have a few tidbits of information to share, but he always enjoyed to prospect of getting paid for gaining new knowledge. As the night progressed, Izaya found himself glancing at his bedroom door. New questions bubbling up in his mind about the girl who hid behind the closed entryway. Who exactly was the silver haired woman, and why does she interest him so? The fact he has yet to answer these questions, in the month of knowing her, drove him insane. Hopefully this new experiment would shed light onto his questions.